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General rule of thumb: If Subaru doesn't offer an OEM camera as a dealer-installable option (post delivery) for your particular car model, then your car is not pre-wired for a camera. In Foresters that are pre-wired, the harness is already plugged into the back of the HU, so the only work you or the dealer needs to do will be at the tailgate.

So if you're keeping a factory head unit, and if your car is not pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll definitely want my 8-pin or 16-pin rear camera harness (depending on OEM HU model). That's the easiest way to connect the camera into the HU.

The remaining thing you'll need to decide is whether to include the 6 Volt power lead on my harness. For an OEM camera, you'll definitely want that. It turns out that many aftermarket cameras will work from 6V (some even as low as 3.5V).

For Subaru HUs besides the Fujitsu Ten nav, you can usually power an aftermarket camera from the reverse lights (unless their instructions say otherwise. One example).

The OEM Fujitsu Ten nav HUs must see a video signal from the camera during boot up (or the HU will decide no camera is present, and leave the feature disabled). So for this HU, you must power the camera from the HU's 6V supply, or from +12V Accessory (on whenever your key is on). For a camera that needs more than 6V, you can use the HU's power lead to run a small 6V relay, which in turn switches the camera's 12V supply on/off.

Arguments against choosing an OEM camera for a car that is not pre-wired for it:

The OEM cameras are very expensive. The Crosstrek's camera is obscenely expensive (more than $200 !).

They require 6V power (so unless you want to build a 12-to-6 V converter circuit, you'll need to get that power from the OEM HU)

They have a short harness with a proprietary plug. You'll need to either:

Cut off that plug and solder on your own plug, or

Buy the OEM tailgate/trunk harness that includes the camera socket (~$40), cut of the segment with that socket, and solder on your own cable.

In both cases, you'll need to add a longer cable to reach from the trunk to the HU.

Since the car isn't pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll need to drill or saw a hole to mount the camera. So the job is no easier than what you'd have to do for an aftermarket camera (and there are some that look the same as OEM -- check out the Rydeen DUO and MINy cameras).

Thanks for the clear info!

You've got me sold on the Rydeen! Definately looks as good/minimalist as the OEM.

General rule of thumb: If Subaru doesn't offer an OEM camera as a dealer-installable option (post delivery) for your particular car model, then your car is not pre-wired for a camera. In Foresters that are pre-wired, the harness is already plugged into the back of the HU, so the only work you or the dealer needs to do will be at the tailgate.

So if you're keeping a factory head unit, and if your car is not pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll definitely want my 8-pin or 16-pin rear camera harness (depending on OEM HU model). That's the easiest way to connect the camera into the HU.

The remaining thing you'll need to decide is whether to include the 6 Volt power lead on my harness. For an OEM camera, you'll definitely want that. It turns out that many aftermarket cameras will work from 6V (some even as low as 3.5V).

For Subaru HUs besides the Fujitsu Ten nav, you can usually power an aftermarket camera from the reverse lights (unless their instructions say otherwise. One example).

The OEM Fujitsu Ten nav HUs must see a video signal from the camera during boot up (or the HU will decide no camera is present, and leave the feature disabled). So for this HU, you must power the camera from the HU's 6V supply, or from +12V Accessory (on whenever your key is on). For a camera that needs more than 6V, you can use the HU's power lead to run a small 6V relay, which in turn switches the camera's 12V supply on/off.

Arguments against choosing an OEM camera for a car that is not pre-wired for it:

The OEM cameras are very expensive. The Crosstrek's camera is obscenely expensive (more than $200 !).

They require 6V power (so unless you want to build a 12-to-6 V converter circuit, you'll need to get that power from the OEM HU)

They have a short harness with a proprietary plug. You'll need to either:

Cut off that plug and solder on your own plug, or

Buy the OEM tailgate/trunk harness that includes the camera socket (~$40), cut of the segment with that socket, and solder on your own cable.

In both cases, you'll need to add a longer cable to reach from the trunk to the HU.

Since the car isn't pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll need to drill or saw a hole to mount the camera. So the job is no easier than what you'd have to do for an aftermarket camera (and there are some that look the same as OEM -- check out the Rydeen DUO and MINy cameras).

based on your post, would you suggest an aftermarket camera instead of the oem if my car didnt come pre-wired for the camera (i.e. forester)?? seeing that if i got an oem camera not designed for my car (i have the issue of power since the power plug for the oem camera will have a connector issue (hence your description on cutting adapters etc)??

just looking to add camera to my new HU (got the oem 4.3 limited head unit w/out satellite)....i need to buy a harness from you by the way...which pins do i need, 20 pin correct? anything else i'll need to install? looking at the recommended aftermarket cameras you mentioned above.

anyone out there try out the SVXdc recommended Rydeen cameras? how well do they perform at night?

i've decided to bite the bullet and have a local shop do this for me both out of my worrying about creating rattles in my work, and moreover, more practical since i have a newborn at home taking up all of my free time.

i'm waffling between the Rydeen Miny, the Subaru OEM, and the shop recommended Kenwood CMOS-210.

i'm not super concerned about price at this point ($75, $130, $150, respectively for the 3 different cameras). the shop could install any of them for me and aren't marking up the price of the camera (i can supply it myself), but they recommend the Kenwood based on previous experience and how well it works in all lighting conditions.

so my question to you guys is: is there that much difference between the different cameras in terms of performance?

I used a $20 ebay camera with good results. With regards to lighting, you'll have your reverse lights that will illuminate a lot of the viewing area. OEM might be good since it will probably give you the best appearance? I haven't seen it but it would be my guess.

thanks for the thoughts. if i did it myself, i would probably just go with cheapest camera and see how well it works. but since i'm time limited and paying someone to do the job, i'm already spending a lot more, so a few extra bucks might be worth it to ensure that it works and i have a good warranty on the total package.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ST Eye

I used a $20 ebay camera with good results. With regards to lighting, you'll have your reverse lights that will illuminate a lot of the viewing area. OEM might be good since it will probably give you the best appearance? I haven't seen it but it would be my guess.

thanks for the thoughts. if i did it myself, i would probably just go with cheapest camera and see how well it works. but since i'm time limited and paying someone to do the job, i'm already spending a lot more, so a few extra bucks might be worth it to ensure that it works and i have a good warranty on the total package.

Gotcha, that makes sense! I love having the camera, it is a great safety device!

Gotcha, that makes sense! I love having the camera, it is a great safety device!

definitely. i never thought i'd want one, but i really feel that i currently don't have a great feel for where the rear of my car is when parallel parking. i remember when i had the big glass window in my old 1985 Honda Civic Wagon, i could literally parallel park that car to within 1-2 inches of the car behind me, confidently. but with the reduced view of the smaller glass window of the Impreza, it seems in hindsight that the rear camera is a necessity.

This is what it looks like from the inside. Note, the square opening is factory cut. It's a little tight, but still big enough to allow for the install.

Mount the camera. I put some shoe goo between the camera and the car to make sure it doesn't shift if the bolt loosens.

Run the wire from the camera towards the hatch conduit. Connect up the camera wire to the wire from the HU. See the tie strap I did on the connection. This prevents the connection from coming loose if there was an accidental tug on the wire.

Anyone have details on removing the rear panel behind the back seats? Do you just need to unplug the battery and remove that screw or is it something more involved???

to all of you who have installed the camera: did you guys play much with the service menu of the non-Navi head unit to adjust the perspective and spacing of the lines? any tips/experiences/advice to share?

i'm having a local installer do the wiring for me next week to pair up with the Kenwood CMOS-210.

Thanks to all of you guys who inspired me. today, after much delay, i got a camera installed on my car. i haven't used it too much yet, but in my brief tests, it works really well. we'll see how nighttime performance is, but from what i gather from others who have used this camera, it should be excellent.

because life is so hectic at home, i paid a local installer to do the installation for me. i provided the camera which i bought from Amazon (Kenwood CMOS-210) and David Carter's harness (which the installered actually ordered from SVXdc for me and charged me the $26 he paid David).

i'm pleased with the result. it's a little less stealth than the OEM, but i decided to go with a highly recommended camera (on the STI forum, for eg) and one that the installer was familiar with and had good experiences with.

i thought i wouldn't necessarily like the camera lines, but in my brief test, the width of them really line up nicely with the extent of the car which is a bonus for parking in tight places.

here's a rough look at the install from the rear of the car:

here's a look on the non-Navi head unit. the red square is about 30 inches from the rear bumper. setting 3 seemed to give me the least obtrusive lines and fit my install well in corresponding with the extent of my car laterally (of course, any closer than the red line, things distort more...)

UPDATE: as i posted more recently, i found that those parking lines/guides are actually adjustable. i haven't had time to fine tune mine yet, but i plan to set it up so that the red line indicates 18" from my back bumper and also precisely set up the lateral extent.

Looks good! Since you have a dark car the camera blends in well. How good is the fluidity of the video feed? How is the quality of the video? Can you get rid if that 3?

Fluidity is descent enough: I drove with the head unit in test mode. A little chop at that level of motion/speed. Just guessing it's probably 20 fps.

Video in daylight is super. I think the limiting factor is the head unit screen resolution.

Yeah, the 3 is is not normally there. In my photo, i'm showing the test screen from the head unit that gives you the choice of four line setups. When in reverse, the lines and warning are there without the number.

I can post info/directions on accessing these settings if they are of help to people. (I figured them out by experimentation and would need to jot down some notes before posting)

btw, You can also put the warning in French, put it at the bottom of the image, and of course turn the warning and/or lines off.

Just in case this isn't common info (i don't think anyone has posted the details), here are instructions for accessing the service menu for the Impreza Limited (4.3" screen, HD Radio, no navigation) radio to configure and adjust the rear backup camera.)

i should note that i didn't figure this all out on my own: it was through many helpful posts here and elsewhere (STI/Forester/BRZ forums) and just a bit of experimentation on my own that allowed me to figure out what to do for this install and how to adjust the rear camera)

You are now ready to adjust the rear camera or can just use this screen to view the camera without putting the car into reverse.

1. To adjust guidelines positioning
Hold MENU/ENTER knob/button
Four red arrows should appear indicating that the parking guides can be adjusted
(release knob/button)

Use following these controls to adjust lines:
- TUNE/TRACK/CH knob - move lines up (CCW) or down (CW)
- >> Move lines right
- << Move lines left

Press MENU/ENTER - this will exit the line-adjust mode

2. To turn on and off various features using Numeric Keys

(when not in line adjust mode)

2 - switches between French/English warning
3 - choose between one of four Parking guide marker/line styles
5 - move the warning text to either top or bottom of the screen
6 - turns parking lines/markers on or off

Exiting Service menu
Finally, Turn ignition key OFF and wait 60 seconds or more to write new settings. Do not turn on ignition key or disconnect battery during that time.

ps. i wrote incorrectly in a prior post: you cannot apparently turn off the warning text. you can only move it to the top or bottom of the screen from what i've figured out. on the other hand, the lines can be adjusted and/or turned off as noted in the above instructions.

General rule of thumb: If Subaru doesn't offer an OEM camera as a dealer-installable option (post delivery) for your particular car model, then your car is not pre-wired for a camera. In Foresters that are pre-wired, the harness is already plugged into the back of the HU, so the only work you or the dealer needs to do will be at the tailgate.

So if you're keeping a factory head unit, and if your car is not pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll definitely want my 8-pin or 16-pin rear camera harness (depending on OEM HU model). That's the easiest way to connect the camera into the HU.

The remaining thing you'll need to decide is whether to include the 6 Volt power lead on my harness. For an OEM camera, you'll definitely want that. It turns out that many aftermarket cameras will also work from 6V (some even as low as 3.5V).

For Subaru HUs besides the Fujitsu Ten nav, you can usually power an aftermarket camera from the reverse lights (unless their instructions say otherwise. One example).

The OEM Fujitsu Ten nav HUs must see a video signal from the camera during boot up (or the HU will decide no camera is present, and leave the feature disabled). So for this HU, you must power the camera from the HU's 6V supply, or from +12V Accessory (on whenever your key is on). For a camera that needs more than 6V, you can use the HU's power lead to run a small 6V relay, which in turn switches the camera's 12V supply on/off.

Arguments against choosing an OEM camera for a car that is not pre-wired for it:

The OEM cameras are very expensive. The Crosstrek's camera is obscenely expensive (more than $200 !).

They require 6V power (so unless you want to build a 12-to-6 V converter circuit, you'll need to get that power from the OEM HU)

They have a short harness with a proprietary plug. You'll need to either:

Cut off that plug and solder on your own plug, or

Buy the OEM tailgate/trunk harness that includes the camera socket (~$40), cut off the segment with that socket, and solder on your own cable.

In both cases, you'll need to add a longer cable to reach from the trunk to the HU.

Since the car isn't pre-wired for the OEM camera, you'll need to drill or saw a hole to mount the camera. So the job is no easier than what you'd have to do for an aftermarket camera (and there are some that look the same as OEM -- check out the Rydeen DUO and MINy cameras).

WHAT IS THE PART NUMBER FOR THAT OEM TAILGATE/TRUNK HARNESS THAT INCLUDES THE PLUG FOR THE OEM CAMERA?

I have not verified either of those. So someone needs to eyeball them before people start ordering them online.
New Crosstrek part is verified by ZURCALED12. See his pictures here. Still looking for correct Forester harness.